What a fascinating discussion thread. Several years ago I read a book on this topic (Speed Reading People). I remember being shocked when I tallied up my results: INFP. I told my family the test was wrong because the description didn’t fit me. I proceeded to read it, probably with a mocking tone. To my astonishment my mom and brothers were nodding vigorously with each point I read. Their conclusion? INFP is me to a tee!

I think the description as an artist and a dreamer kind of threw me. As does the suggestion of the sorts of jobs INFPs have: counselors, psychologists, etc. I shy away from those suggestions. Now I kind of understand why… I long for the ideal in relationships (interpersonal and intrapersonal). Couple that with a hyperactive sense of empathy and working with emotionally confused and hurting people for a living… well the thought of it makes me want to curl up in the fetal position. I am frustrated with just trying to fix/better myself much of the time. It reminds me of a quote from the Muppet Movie… Fozzie Bear: “... I won’t be able to live with myself!” Bunsen Honeydew: “Well then, you'll have to get another apartment, won’t you?” If only it were that easy! My friends and coworkers do come to me to talk about their frustrations from time to time. I like to help them by listening as they vent, and I feel honored that they trust me with their feelings. But the nature of my job is that I am not around or in communication with my coworkers much so I am not overwhelmed by their emotions.

Interestingly, at a large meeting where I work (in a scientific field, by the way) the HR person had the entire group of 80+ people take personality tests. It was based on a 4 color designation and I haven’t yet associated with how it lines up with the Myers-Briggs. At any rate, the room was split pretty evenly between Gold (they like structure and to be on time) and Greens (they like information and to fix problems), with a much smaller group of Oranges (hams who are easily bored). I had the hardest time finding the other Blues, until I realized, there was only one other one in the room, a good friend/mentor of mine. Oh, and the HR person herself as she later divulged. Figures.

But I suppose my dream job is to be a writer. I dabble now, just for personal recreation. I’d love to write the screenplay for the next big summer blockbuster, or pen the next New York Times bestselling novel. These outcomes are rather unlikely however. The INFP prayer is definitely mine: God, help me to finish everything I sta

Grammatical garden or the Arbour of Accidence pleasantly open'd to Tender Wits by Puverulentus Siccus

Hey, welcome to the discussion, the4signs[repeat]! Isn't it crazy when you read one of those descriptions for the first time and it feels like the writer actually knows you?

As an INFJ, counselor or psychologist often come up as career suggestions for my type as well, but like you, I would find it pretty draining. INFJs often play a counseling role in their personal relationships, so it can seem kind of like working 24/7, I suppose. I am definitely drawn to some sort of career where I feel like I am bettering people's lives, though. I haven't crossed off the possibility of ever getting into counseling, but I'd want to cultivate stronger emotional barriers before thinking about pursuing that. I remember listening to a podcast that suggested that INFJs view themselves more like conduits instead of reservoirs for other people's emotions—go ahead and feel other people's feelings and use that ability to help them, but let those feelings pass through you rather than take them on. I'm not sure if that advice would apply to INFPs as well, but it seems like a good idea for anyone who is very emotionally sensitive to others.

I've sometimes seen people reference their MBTI type with a color—such as "blue INFJ"—but I'm not very familiar with those typologies yet. I did just run across this article talking about how the True Colors system corresponds with (or tends to correspond with) MBTI.

In other MBTI-related news, lately I've been reading a book called Was That Really Me? How Everyday Stress Brings Out Our Hidden Personality by Naomi Quenk. It talks about how different types can find themselves "in the grip" of their inferior function when they're under stress and has a lot of anecdotes from people describing times when they were out of character. For instance, it was interesting to me to see INFJs and INTJs (who both have the inferior function Se) talk about having trouble with things like binging on food when under stress. Usually I don't have much trouble sticking to a healthy diet, but when I'm under stress, I either lose my appetite completely or I eat everything. What I'm liking best about the book, though, is that it offers advice on how to deal with these out of character episodes and return to a state of equilibrium. From what I've read so far, I think I would recommend it to anyone who wants to use MBTI as a self-help tool.

So according to the test in the OP, today at least, I am labled as I (72%) N (50%) F (31%) J (19%)

I will say I am definitely an introvert... I start getting a little nuts when everyone wants me to help out or hang out at the same time (problem is I feel terrible if I say no). And I definitely get recharged by doing things on my own. (A solo hike or a book read is so lovely.)

I don't really know much about the others... Other than I always get typed as an IN something

I will say I tend to get very passionate about issues, like the description says, and I always yern to help those in need (probably why I can't say no to people). While, I am freindly with everyone, I only feel close with a certain few, but those bonds can be even stronger than family. I also express myself better through writing, and I tend to get a bit philisophical mentally - a lot of people probably don't realize that about me, but I am constantly daydreaming, asking questions, finding answers, pondering life.

As for my carreer strengths I seem to be a "dual sided brain user" I am strong in the sciences, especially biology and geology, but I have a strong creative side, I am a natural writer, and singer, and I often dabble in various other forms of art although I only consider myself a beginner at it. I have a hobby of making new hobbies as I like to say. I love exploring and trying different things and researching different subjects. I am a beginning gardener, an outdoorsy girl, and a bit of a treehugger. Also as is written in the description learning languages comes easy to me... English is my native language, but I am strong in Spanish. I know basic German. I also plan on expanding into other languages as I brush up on what I do know. It is so fun to figure out what languages are similar in certain aspects to others. I could expand this and say I am a bit of an animal whisperer as well... understanding their body language and moods and what they are thinking is something that is as natural to me as English.

All that seems pretty much in line with what the description says. I need to read up descriptions on the others though and see if I relate to any aspects of them though since I haven't got much of a baseline. It is something I would like to know more about though.

EDIT: After doing more research I'd say I'm a pretty solid N as well as I... but after those two the lines get really fuzzy So I'm INsomething

One quiz I really like for offering a deeper look is the Keys 2 Cognition quiz, which was developed by a UCLA professor who specializes in the neuroscience of personality. Besides the benefit of having more variation in the kinds of answers you can give, it also gives you the cognitive function breakdown of your results (very helpful for typing) and a couple of other personality possibilities if the first result isn't quite right. It might help point you in the right direction! If you want, you can copy/paste your results and I can give you my thoughts on how to interpret them as well.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you're an INFJ based on what you're describing, but I'm hesitant to say for sure because types can seem similar at times. I went back and forth looking at different descriptions for INFJ and INFP years ago when I was caught between the two, and I was never able to resolve that confusion until I read up on the cognitive functions. Probably the best article I've found for easily getting a grasp of how they work is this webpage.

Good luck with the hunt and let me know if you have any questions or need a second opinion on something!

Sorry. I haven't posted in here -- or, anywhere really -- in a while, and i felt like i should say something before launching into what i'm here to say.

Anyway.

So i started watching the TV show Chuck on Netflix recently, and i've been mentally combining and comparing the characters and situations from it with characters and situations from other fictional things i've liked. This isn't anything new for me, i do it all the time.

All. The. Time.

It's fun, but a little annoying at times.

I bring this up because i think it's part of being an INTP -- i look for patterns and connections in things, even if those patterns or connections are in how Character A from B series is similar or dissimilar to Character C from D series.

I was wondering if anyone else had similar experiences. It's always easier for me to find something someone else has said to interpret my thoughts or feelings on something than to put it into words for myself.

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kindSome come from above, some come from behindBut I've bought a big bat, I'm all ready you seeNow my troubles are going to have troubles with me!~ Dr. Seuss

I think what you're describing is definitely associated with being an INTP. You might like this article over on CelebrityTypes by Michael Pierce; it touches upon this INTP trait. I'd always kind of ignored CelebrityTypes in years past because the site name sounded kind of clickbait-y, but they've actually got some very good articles. Michael Pierce's series is very good; he also has a Youtube channel where he shares videos about Jungian typology.

Here's a relevant excerpt from the INTP article linked above:

Michael Pierce wrote:The word I like to use to describe the INTP nature is “abstracting.” Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of the INTP nature is their great interest in getting to the bottom of things, stripping away all the accidental traits and getting at the underlying, bare, mathematical framework of a system or idea. For the INTP, this is the great search for truth, the search for the underlying principles of the universe.

This process results from the combined efforts of Ti and Ne. Ne observes objects through a fuzzy lens, so that it’s easier to imagine what other things the object could be and to associate the object with other objects. In exchange for clear facts it obtains possibilities and connections. This is combined with Ti, which tries to organize its impressions of objects into a perfect architectural system. Thus, the INTP looks at a fuzzy, interpretative image of objects, discovers the logical framework behind that interpretive image, and the resulting framework is something that can be applied to many other objects. In other words, if you had an animatronic bear, and you stripped away the outside suit and all of its outwards artistic appearance and skin covering and laid bare the undecorated, cold, but essential mechanics, then you could redress the robot in whatever skin you wanted: bunny, duck, fox, crocodile, human. The underlying mechanics would be the same. The INTP is not just looking for the underlying logical structure of things, but is looking for logical principles that are applicable to a multitude of appearances or circumstances.

The Rose-Tree Dryad wrote:One quiz I really like for offering a deeper look is the Keys 2 Cognition quiz, which was developed by a UCLA professor who specializes in the neuroscience of personality. Besides the benefit of having more variation in the kinds of answers you can give, it also gives you the cognitive function breakdown of your results (very helpful for typing) and a couple of other personality possibilities if the first result isn't quite right. It might help point you in the right direction!

I already know my type (INTP) but decided to take this quiz just for kicks. Here's what it told me:

By focusing on the strongest configuration of cognitive processes, your pattern of responses most closely matches individuals of this type: INFP

Lead (Dominant) ProcessIntroverted Feeling (Fi): Staying true to who you really are. Paying close attention to your personal identity, values and beliefs. Checking with your conscience. Choosing behavior congruent with what is important to you.

Support (Auxilliary) ProcessExtraverted Intuiting (Ne): Exploring the emerging patterns. Wondering about patterns of interaction across various situations. Checking what hypotheses and meanings fit best. Trusting what emerges as you shift a situation’s dynamics.

If these cognitive processes don't fit well then consider these types: ENFP, or INTP

Well, it got it on the third try, at least. My high level of Ne doesn't surprise me at all. It amuses me that it registers my Fi so highly. I wonder why it thinks Ti – my actual dominant function – is so low.

Ithilwen wrote:Well, it got it on the third try, at least. My high level of Ne doesn't surprise me at all. It amuses me that it registers my Fi so highly. I wonder why it thinks Ti – my actual dominant function – is so low.

Ugh, just when you think you find a useful quiz...

I usually get either INFJ or ENFJ when I take that, with INFP as the third option. I tend to score fairly high on Fi, but powerful subconscious Fi is why INFJs often test as INFPs and it's to be expected from a Socionics perspective. (For people that don't know, Socionics is a theory of information processing and personality type that was developed in the Soviet Union in the 70s and 80s, and I wouldn't recommend it to people who are very new to typology. It took me a few years to screw up the courage to tackle it. )

On the other hand, I can't really think of a model that makes sense for an INTP to have such high Fi, but it could just be that the testing apparatus is an imperfect tool. Hmmm, I'll have to think about it.

The Rose-Tree Dryad wrote:Ugh, just when you think you find a useful quiz...

It probably is a useful quiz. I had some other friends take it and it typed them correctly. I'm the only one it got "wrong" and it still got me right on the third guess. I'm probably just the odd one out. There are a lot of factors that could make me "weird" for an INTP.

On the other hand, I can't really think of a model that makes sense for an INTP to have such high Fi, but it could just be that the testing apparatus is an imperfect tool. Hmmm, I'll have to think about it.

What makes it even funnier is that Fi is the function I have the biggest love/hate (emphasis on the latter) relationship with. I am trying to develop all my functions, though, so...maybe I'm just doing a really great job?

But seriously, one idea I had is that maybe my Ti is manifesting itself in a seemingly Fi-ish way. Fi is often associated with self-reflection, identity, and trying to understand and embrace one's own feelings. As a Ti-Ne person, I'm fascinated with analyzing things, especially psychology. So, of course, psychoanalyzing myself is the easiest way to carry out that hobby. I will often do identity stuff as part of that. It could be the test just mistook that habit as Fi instead of Ti. I'm also very religious in a way that I try to live out on a daily basis. And I think a lot of typologists tend to unfairly label that as Fi because "making decisions based on ideals!!!1!11" Any of the 16 types can be religious, people.

The test gave me ISFJ first and ESFJ second. I understand its confusion since I was very borderline E/I when I took the MBTI (I've since realized I'm also an ambivert) and have been in a very introverted phase for a while now.

"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies. And when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you..."Inexhaustible Inspiration

Fi, or Introverted Feeling: your subjective impressions about people and things, living in accordance with your values, and empathetic caring for others.Fe, or Extroverted Feeling: awareness of external emotional atmospheres, social cooperation, and sympathetic caring for others.Ti, or Introverted Thinking: intensive logical analysis, building logical frameworks, and perceiving whether or not something is coherent with a logical framework.

Ithilwen wrote:It probably is a useful quiz. I had some other friends take it and it typed them correctly. I'm the only one it got "wrong" and it still got me right on the third guess. I'm probably just the odd one out. There are a lot of factors that could make me "weird" for an INTP.

I know that some of the questions are pretty nebulous, but in the FAQ they say that some of the phrases allow for multiple meanings and that it's deliberate for the purposes of testing, since some people are more comfortable with ambiguity than others. It also says that "It's fine if you didn't understand some phrases; they likely were not meant for you." (This guy uses EEG and other neuromapping equipment at UCLA to examine people's brains from a cognitive function perspective... interesting fellow.)

Ithilwen wrote:But seriously, one idea I had is that maybe my Ti is manifesting itself in a seemingly Fi-ish way. Fi is often associated with self-reflection, identity, and trying to understand and embrace one's own feelings. As a Ti-Ne person, I'm fascinated with analyzing things, especially psychology. So, of course, psychoanalyzing myself is the easiest way to carry out that hobby. I will often do identity stuff as part of that. It could be the test just mistook that habit as Fi instead of Ti.

That's an interesting theory and you could be right, but I'm not sure it seems like an intuitive answer to me. (Lowercase intuitive, not Jungian Intuitive. )

This is mainly because of my own relationship with Fi: it's very strong and is a powerful influence in my life, but I tend to disregard it in favor of Fe. This is because Fi is subconscious and Fe is conscious. This is also why I often have a difficult time listing what my "favorite" things are, even though I tend to be a pretty analytical person. I find it easier to analyze other people's feelings than my own, and feel like I'm floundering when I do try to do that. Picking favorites is not a situation where I can just shrug it off because I don't care: I do care because I know that I have strong feelings and opinions about people and things, it just takes me longer to excavate them than it does with some people. So if someone asks me what my favorite color is, they may have to call me back later and, after an hour of intense soul-searching, I'll tell them that it's sky blue. Okay, that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but it's not that far off the mark.

In Socionics, INTPs have very weak subconscious Fi as compared to the very strong subconscious Fi in INFJs. It's something that they consider to be useful "in theory" but they're not very good at using it at all and it is not their tendency to engage it. This is how Socionists describe the INTP usage:

The [INTP] is acutely aware of social conventions, such as saying "please" and "thank you", and expends much effort to conform to these rules to maintain the status of a "polite" person. But he tends to overdo the conventions themselves, as opposed to the relationships they are supposed to establish, and so ends up stepping on other people's toes (violating some less easily definable convention which he would never really want to conform to anyways). He prefers an easy-going environment where such conventions don't exist in the first place. When in a heated argument, an [INTP] can alienate others by his natural tendency to hold and defend strong opinions (Ti).

If asked to express a unique, personal sentiment, such as a favorite color or football team, the [INTP] may find difficulty choosing if there is no "obvious" answer. He often feels like he has no real personal, subjective feelings at all, and usually has to make a conscious decision where other types could easily supply an instinctive reaction.

The [INTP] also is very sensitive about how other people see him, feeling depressed if he has affections that are not returned. For this reason, he tends to avoid expressing signals that show interest in certain people (as opposed to signals about his general mood and demeanor, which he feels to be much more natural), but of course it just aggravates his loneliness, instead of relieving it.

How does that resonate with you, especially the bolded part? Some people would say that Socionics isn't the end-all, be-all and I would agree, but I think it has a lot of extremely helpful insights into areas of personality that MBTI doesn't extend. (It answered a lot of questions about my own type and others that MBTI wasn't able to explain, anyhow.)

But still... if your connection with Fi is an unusual expression of Ti... how do we know that your connection to Ti isn't an unusual expression of Fi? It's just a thought that crossed my mind when I was looking at your test results... only you can verify your type in this case. I know that you've considered yourself an INTP for quite a while now and I'm not trying to invalidate your assessment of yourself.

shastastwin wrote:The test gave me ISFJ first and ESFJ second. I understand its confusion since I was very borderline E/I when I took the MBTI (I've since realized I'm also an ambivert) and have been in a very introverted phase for a while now.

It's good to hear that it typed you correctly! My mom is an ISFJ and you guys are awesome people. If you ever want to read more about the differences between ISFJ and ESFJ, this is a pretty good, short article that highlights some of the key differences.

Rosie wrote:How does that resonate with you, especially the bolded part? Some people would say that Socionics isn't the end-all, be-all anyway, and I would agree, but I think it has a lot of extremely helpful insights into areas of personality that MBTI doesn't extend. (It answered a lot of questions about my own type and others that MBTI wasn't able to explain, anyhow.)

But still... if your connection with Fi is an unusual expression of Ti... how do we know that your connection to Ti isn't an unusual expression of Fi? It's just a thought that crossed my mind when I was looking at your test results... only you can verify your type in this case. I know that you've considered yourself an INTP for quite a while now and I'm not trying to invalidate your assessment of yourself.

None of the quoted part really resonated with me, and the bolded part especially didn't. But then...it doesn't really describe any other INTP I've met either. I've gone out of my way to meet INTPs ever since I found out I was one, and all of them can list their favorite everything right off the bat. In fact, they usually like to make lists like Top 10 This and Top 25 That. Pretty sure I've seen INTP descriptions say that's common for INTPs too, but I didn't save the links, so I can't prove it. As far as I can remember, the only people I've seen who couldn't list their favorite things easily were S's and people with Ni in the first or second place. Usually xxFJs or ESxPs.

It seems more like Ti manifesting in a Fi-ish way rather than the other way around. If Fi manifested itself in a Ti-ish way, it would probably be something like...researching, debating, going through strings of logic... all for the end goal of trying to validate its own subjective feelings. The subjective feelings would be the end goal, because Fi is the function at the root of the action. In fact, this is usually how it goes when I see Fi-dominants try to use Ti. It ends up being a "twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts" type of thing, all while sounding very logical and Ti-ish on the surface until you dig deeper.

Whereas, what's happening with me is the opposite of that. My end goal is data. I want to learn more about the human brain. I try to pick everyone's brain when I get the chance. But since my own brain is the most accessible, I end up analyzing myself far more than anyone else. And in the process of that, I end up learning a lot about myself, how I think, how I feel, and why I do what I do. The subjective stuff is a bonus that gets thrown in while I learn. But the data – Ti – seems to be what's driving it.

Add to that the fact that I relate well to almost every INTP I meet + almost every INTP description I read, and that I don't relate very well at all to the INFPs I meet or the INFP descriptions. It seems like INTP is the more likely.

Ithilwen wrote:None of the quoted part really resonated with me, and the bolded part especially didn't. But then...it doesn't really describe any other INTP I've met either. I've gone out of my way to meet INTPs ever since I found out I was one, and all of them can list their favorite everything right off the bat. In fact, they usually like to make lists like Top 10 This and Top 25 That.

Maybe all of the INTPs in the Soviet Union were too busy trying to survive communist rule to be able to pick favorites. That's a joke, but I'm kind of serious. One of the main Western criticisms of Socionics is its theory about compatibility—they believe that the most optimal relationships are between "dual" types, such as the INFJ and the ESTP. They have all the same cognitive functions, but the INFJ's weak functions are the ESTP's strong ones, and vice-versa. In the West, however, it's generally believed that pairing Intuitive types with Intuitive types and Sensing types with Sensing types is a better idea.

My theory is that life in the Soviet Union was so difficult on account of the artificial, unnatural scarcity that was brought on by communism, it was more necessary to have pairings that "balanced each other out" in a practical way. So while an INFJ and an ENTP might starve to death while thinking about abstract ideas all day, an INFJ and an ESTP would make a better go of it and extreme poverty wouldn't put quite as much of a strain on their relationship. But I digress.

As an INTP, i have trouble picking favorites. I can make a list of all the stuff i really like, but i certainly couldn't tell you which TV show/musician/video game/etc. was my absolute favorite.

Something i'm curious about: with the partial exception of Christmas, i don't really get a lot out of traditions, especially wedding traditions. I've tried to picture what i would like my own (theoretical) wedding to be like, but while i know i don't want to just go to a justice of the peace and have a purely legal arrangement, pretty much everything i've heard of or seen done gets only a "meh" from me. Does anyone else have this experience?

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kindSome come from above, some come from behindBut I've bought a big bat, I'm all ready you seeNow my troubles are going to have troubles with me!~ Dr. Seuss